The mid-Piacenzian climate represents the most geologically recent interval of long-term average
warmth relative to the last million years, and shares similarities with the climate projected for the
end of the 21st century. As such, it represents a natural experiment from which we can gain insight
into potential climate change impacts, enabling more informed policy decisions for mitigation and
adaptation. Here, we present the first systematic comparison of Pliocene sea surface temperature
(SST) between an ensemble of eight climate model simulations produced as part of PlioMIP (Pliocene
Model Intercomparison Project) with the PRISM (Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic
Mapping) Project mean annual SST field. Our results highlight key regional and dynamic situations
where there is discord between the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and the climate model
simulations. These differences have led to improved strategies for both experimental design and
temporal refinement of the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.